Machines for producing wood shavings



Nov. 22, 1966 T. F. MEIS MACHINES FOR PRODUCING WOOD SIIAVINGS Filed Aug. 14, 1964 'lillnllnllnm INVENTOR Thomas F. Meis MwM Attorneys United States Patent 3,286,745 MACHINES FOR PRODUCING WOOD SHAVINGS Thomas F. Meis, R0. Box 27, Mondovi, Wis. Filed Aug. 14, 1964, Ser. No. 389,731 3 Claims. (Cl. 144178) This invention relates to improvements in machines for producing wood shavings, and more particularly to an improved wood shaving mill adapted to produce shavings of uniform consistency and quality, and which shavings are particularly well suited for making bedding litter for poultry and other animals.

It is common practice for farmers and others to use wood chips and shavings as bedding for their poultry and livestock, but unfortunately, the material usually obtained for this purpose is not of consistent size and quality, and is not always well-suited for its intended purpose. While some of the shavings may be light and fluffy, for example, much of said material may be thick and contain harmful slivers, and be completely unsuitable. Therefore, one of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide an improved machine which produces wood shavings which are consistently fluffy and absorbent, and wherein there are no thick shavings or chips which can injure the animals or cause them discomfort.

A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a wood shaving mill generally similar to that disclosed in the Hassler et al. Patent No. 2,442,492, but which improved machine is especially designed to eliminate the occurrence of shavings of unequal size, shape and consistency, and wherein the end product is superior for its intended use.

A still more specific object of the invention is to provide a novel wood shaving mill having a pair of oppositely-rotating, in-line cutter heads, in lieu of the single rotating cutter employed in Hassler and other prior machines, said improved dual cutter assembly being so designed that the reciprocating wood piece is always acted upon and shaved only by the cutter head rotating in the travel direction of said wood, in contrast to said prior machines wherein the single rotating cutter acts upon the wood in both travel directions and wherein the shav ing of said wood against its direction of movement frequently causes uneven and poor quality shavings.

A further object is to provide an improved machine having a novel dual cutter assembly whereby the wood is always shaved only by the cutter rotating in the same direction said wood is traveling, as described, which innovation reduces the wear on the cutting blades and substantially increases their operating life.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved machine which is especially designed to automatically eject knots and other undesirable pieces, thus preventing said pieces from interfering with the shaving operation, and further ensuring a consistently fine product.

Still further objects of the present invention are to provide a novel and improved wood shaving mill, which machine is fast and and efficient, which is relatively inexpensive in construction, which is rugged and durable, and which is otherwise particularly well suited for its intended purpose.

With the above and other objects in view, which other objects and advantages will become apparent hereinafter, the invention comprises the improved wood shaving machine hereinafter described and any and all changes or modifications therein as may come within the spirit of said invention and within the scope of the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein there is illustrated one preferred embodiment of the invention, and wherein like reference numerals designate the same parts in all of the views:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the complete Wood shaving machine;

FIG. 2 is a simplified side elevational and sectional view showing the reciprocating hopper at one end of its traversing cycle in full lines, and showing said hopper at the other end of its cycle in broken lines;

FIG. 3 is a simplified side elevational view illustrating the action of the dual cutter heads in one direction of wood travel; and

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 and showing the cutter action when the wood piece travels in the opposite direction.

In general, the wood shaving mill comprising the present invention includes a flat table 10, an open-bottom wood hopper 16 which is designed to travel back and forth over a rotating cutter mounted in said table, and drive means for reciprocating said hopper and for driving said rotatable cutter. Basically, the structure and operation of the machine is similar to that disclosed in the aforementioned Hassler et al. Patent No. 2,442,492, the novelty in the present machine being confined primarily to its new and improved cutter assembly, and in the means provided in said machine for continuously purging knots and other undesirable pieces or wood particles, as will be hereinafter seen.

Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawing, the table portion 10 of the machine includes an elongated horizontal bed 11, a pair of spaced, parallel walls 12 and 13 defining a longitudinal passageway therebetween, and the entire apparatus is supported on a rigid metal framework 14. The wood hopper 16 is designed to ride on the upper edges of said walls 12 and 13, or on suitable rails secured on said wall members, and is preferably provided with flanged wheels (not shown) to ensure its secure riding engagement thereon. Said hopper is rectangular in form, having side walls 17 and end walls 18, and the top and bottom of said hopper are open, the hopper bottom edge 19 (FIG. 2) being spaced upwardly from the surface of the bed 11 a distance sufficient to avoid interference with the cutters to be later described. In the use of the machine the wood from which the shavings are to be formed, such as the illustrated cord wood logs 40, are cut to a suitable length and are positioned longitudinally within said hopper.

As shown in FIG. 2, projecting longitudinally from the opposite ends of the hopper 16 are elongated arm members 43 and 44 having downwardly-extending end portions designed to slideably ride over the surface of the machine bed 11. The purposes of said arm members are to provide a protective covering for the rotatable cutter blades, as will be seen, and to provide sweeper means to ensure that the shavings and chips accumulating on the table are directed into the cutter openings in said table, where they are intended to fall into a bin or container, or onto a moving conveyor belt. In place of the simplified sweeper arm design shown, a vertically-adjustable plate can be mounted on the end of each of said arms to permit the same to be readily adjusted and set as desired, or a spring-loaded sweeper arm such as that disclosed in the aforementioned Hassler et al. patent can be employed.

The hopper driving assembly is generally similar to those employed on prior wood shaving mills and will not, therefore, be described in detail herein. Said assembly preferably includes a gasoline engine or other prime mover and a system of drive wheels 20 and 21, and belts 15 on the frame 14, and endless chains 22 trained about sprockets 23 and 24 on said frame, as well as suitable belt tightening and clutch means. In the operation of the machine, said drive mechanism is adapted to reciprocate the hopper 16 longitudinally along the passageway between the table walls 12 and 13, thereby moving the wood in said hopper in two directions, alternately, over the cutters mounted therebelow. In lieu of the illustrated mechanical drive assembly a hydraulic or pneumatic system could also be utilized, and the invention is by no means to be limited in this respect. A hopper travel rate of between 40-60 feet per minute has been found to be effective for most cutting operations, but this can be varied to suit particular requirements. Moreover, the most effective travel speed of the hopper, and the ratio thereof to the speed of the rotating cutters, is dependent upon whether the material being shaved is a hard or soft wood, as well as other variables.

Unlike conventional wood-shaving mills, the present machine is provided with a pair of cutting units, in lieu of the single cutter heretofore employed. As will be seen in FIGS. 2-4, the first cutter includes an elongated cylindrical member or cutter head 27 having a plurality of angled, radially-projecting blades 28 which are co-extensive with said head, said cutter being mounted transversely beneath the bed 11 and projecting upwardly through a transverse opening 29 therein. Said cutter head is preferably provided with gullets 33 to assure proper cutting action and to aid in freely disposing of the shavings, which are designated by the numeral 4t? in FIGS. 3 and 4. Mounted as close to said first cutter as their bearing dimensions will permit is a second, parallel cutter unit including a cylindrical head 39 having plural co-extensive blades 31, and being designed to project upwardly through an opening 32 in the bed. Said first and second cutters are mounted on shafts 34 and 35, respectively, which are vertically adjustably journaled in the frame side walls 12 and 13, said adjustable mounting permitting said cutting units to be shifted and set relative to the hopper bottom to produce shavings of a predetermined thickness.

As shown in FIG. 1, the outer, projecting ends of the cutter shafts 34 and 35 are provided with sheaves 34 and 35, respectively, and trained thereabout and about the drive wheel 21 is an endless belt as. Said belt is trained around said sheaves in opposite directions, there being a third, idler sheave 37 to provide proper driving connection between said cutter sheaves and the drive wheel 21, with the result that when the engine or other power source is actuated to turn said wheel 21, the cutter members are simultaneously rotated in opposite directions. In operation, the cutter head 27 turns in a clockwise direction, while the adjacent cutter head 30 rotates in the opposite direction, as is designated by the arrows in FIGS. 2-4, said cutters being geared to rotate at a relatively high speed as compared to the traversing speed of the hopper.

In the use of the present machine for producing wood shavings, the logs 40 or other wood pieces are positioned longitudinally within the hopper 16, and the engine is started to actuate the hopper reciprocating means and to simultaneously drive the rotating cutter heads 27 and 30, as described. As the hopper '16 is drawn to the right in FIG. 2, the lowermost logs 40 therein are engaged by the first cutter unit 27, 28 which is rotating in the direction of travel of said hopper. As is illustrated in FIG. 4, said cutter initially engages and cuts the cross grain at the log end, and the cut is completed by the blades rotating with the grain of said wood, thus shaving short, fluffy pieces 40' from the underside thereof as said logs pass thereover. Due to the fact that said first cutter 27 functions to continuously remove the under portion thereof, as said logs pass over the second, oppositely-rotating cutter head 30, the blades 31 on the latter do not contact the Wood, or contact it just slightly.

When the hopper reaches the end of its travel in one direction, as shown in broken lines in FIG. 2, the lowermost logs 44} fall to a slightly lower position, so that they again rest on the table 11, and the hopper automatically reverses and begins its return travel, said hopper being operatively connected to the driven endless chains 22 (FIG. 1) by means of pivotal connecting arms or links, as is well known in the art. As appears in FIG. 3, when the wood piece 40 commences moving in the opposite direction it is initially acted upon by the blades 31 on the cutter 30 which is rotating in the same direction said wood is traveling, and the blades 28 on the oppositely-rotating cutter 27 do not contact and shave said wood. When said lowermost log or logs 40 have been completely formed into shavings, the logs immediately thereabove automatically descend by gravity to take their place, and the shaving operation is repeated with each succeeding layer until the entire contents of the hopper have been thus consumed.

As hereinabove described, with the present machine the cross grain at the log end is cut first, and the cut is completed by the blades rotating with the grain of the moving wood, as opposed to cutting with the grain first and then the cross grain, as in conventional machines. With the present device there is peeled off a thin shaving of more consistent quality than is obtained with said prior machines, and which produces a greater bulk and volume of shavings, thus providing a more absorbent, higher-quality bedding material. A further, important advantage is that the dual cutter assembly eliminates any tendency of the wood to gradually become wedge-shaped as a result Of variation in the cutting characteristics of first cutting with, and then against the wood travel direction, as in conventional machines. Moreover, cutting only with the travel direction of the wood reduces the wear on the cutting blades and prolongs their operating life.

Another important structural feature of the present invention is the means incorporated therein for permitting the escape of knots or other undesirable pieces which may accumulate within the hopper. It is important to eject such pieces not only because they could be harmful to the fowl if they are included in the bedding material, but because such particles frequently become wedged beneath the log being shaped and cause the same to become biased, thus interfering with the evenness of the shaving action, and producing non-uniform chips. In order to eliminate this possibility, the bed 11 in the present machine is provided with transverse openings 42 and 42' (FIG. 2) which are located adjacent the extremities of the hopper travel cycle. Thus, escape passageways are provided whereby loose particles which accumulate at the bottom of the hopper can fall through to the ground prior to each traversing cycle of the hopper (as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 2), where they will not interfere with the operation of the machine.

From the foregoing detailed description it will be seen that the present invention provides a new and improved machine for producing wood shavings for use as poultry and livestock bedding litter, which machine has several important advantages over prior devices intended for the same purpose. As described, the present machine is provided with a unique dual cutter assembly which permits the shaving of the wood only in its travel direction, thus providing finer, more consistent shavings than are obtained when the rotating cutting blades act upon the wood against its travel direction, as in conventional shaving mills. Moreover, the present machine is adjustable to permit the shaving of chips or pieces of predetermined thickness, and it is designed to produce shavings which are consistently flufty and absorbent, and wherein there are no thick shavings or chips which can injure the animals or cause them discomfort. Further, the present machine is especially designed to permit the discharge of knots and other undesirable pieces during operation, it is fast and eflicient, and it is extremely rugged and durable.

It is to be understood that various modifications and changes in the machine illustrated and hereinbefore described will undoubtedly occur to those skilled in the art, and it is intended to cover herein not only the exact structural details shown and described, but also any and all modifications or changes therein as may come within the spirit of the invention, and within the scope of the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. A machine for producing wood shavings comprising: an elongated table having a cutter opening therein; an open bottom wood log hopper mounted for reciprocating movement over and beyond said cutter opening; a pair of rotary cutters supported for rotation below said table opening and having portions projecting therethrough and slightly above said table; means for rotating said cutters in opposite directions; and means for reciprocating said hopper to cause it to completely traverse the cutter opening and both cutters in each direction of reciprocation of the hopper, the full reciprocation of the hopper and the directions of rotation of the cutters causing the lowermost logs in the hopper to be substantially evenly shaved in each direction of reciprocation of the hopper only by the cutter rotating in the same direction as the table is being then reciprocated from the then leading ends of the logs inwardly.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,881,398 10/1932 Corcoran et al 241--277 1,999,607 4/1935 Hagmaier et al 24l277 2,442,492 6/1948 Hassler et a1 24l277 WILLIAM W. DYER, JR., Primary Examiner.

W. D. BRAY, Assistant Examiner.- 

1. A MACHINE FOR PRODUCING WOOD SHAVINGS COMPRISING: AN ELONGATED TABLE HAVING A CUTTER OPENING THEREIN; AN OPEN BOTTOM WOOD LOG HOPPER MOUNTED FOR RECIPROCATING MOVEMENT OVER AND BEYOND SAID CUTTER OPENING; A PAIR OF ROTARY CUTTERS SUPPORTED FOR ROTATION BELOW SAID TABLE OPENING AND HAVING PORTIONS PROJECTING THERETHROUGH AND SLIGHTLY ABOVE SAID TABLE; MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID CUTTERS IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS; AND MEANS FOR RECIPROCATING SAID HOPPER TO CAUSE IT TO COMPLETELY TRAVERSE THE CUTTER OPENING AND BOTH CUTTERS IN EACH DIRECTION OF RECIPROCATION OF THE HOPPER, THE FULL RECIPROCATION OF THE HOPPER AND THE DIRECTIONS OF ROTATION OF THE CUTTERS CAUSING THE LOWERMOST LOGS IN THE HOPPER TO BE SUBSTANTIALLY EVENLY SHAVED IN EACH DIRECTION OF RECIPROCATION OF THE HOPPER ONLY BY THE CUTTER ROTATING IN THE SAME DIRECTION AS THE TABLE IS BEING THEN RECIPROCATED FROM THE THEN LEADING ENDS OF THE LOGS INWARDLY. 